Meanings
plural ostrich instructions
- lawAn instruction to jurors telling them they may equate wilful ignorance with actual knowledge.
Based on this evidence, we concluded an ostrich instruction was appropriate because a jury could reasonably conclude that he had deliberately avoided the truth.
1999, U.S. v. Craig, 178 F.3d 891 (7th Cir. 1999)
Origin
After the supposed habit of the ostrich of burying its head in the sand to avoid danger by not seeing it.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ostrich instruction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostrich%20instruction
“ostrich instruction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostrich%20instruction. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ostrich instruction,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostrich%20instruction.
Source: ostrich instruction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.